Pronutro - Why can I not find it in NZ?

What Happened?

PepsiCo completely overhauled the 64-year-old original recipe. When the "New Generation" formula hit supermarket shelves, long-time fans found that the texture, flavor, and mixability were completely different. Describe by consumers as watery, lumpy, or chemically-tasting, the backlash across social media and consumer forums was swift.  

Due to the intense outcry, ProNutro issued a public apology and temporarily halted production to fix the recipe—specifically addressing the mixability and lumpiness issue—which caused a brief absence of boxes on retail shelves.  
Why Did PepsiCo Change the Recipe?

The manufacturer cited three main reasons for changing the iconic cereal:
1. Obsolete Manufacturing Equipment:
The original ProNutro formula relied on an energy-intensive, 60-year-old process called "roller drying" that gave it its distinct texture. PepsiCo stated that the older machinery had become unreliable, hard to source replacement parts for, and cost-prohibitive to replace like-for-like. Moving to modern, efficient production equipment required altering the base recipe.  
2. Health & Nutritional Tweaks:
The new recipe was designed with reduced total sugar content (down by ~45% across variants) and an updated plant-protein blend to align with healthier dietary preferences.  
3. Environmental & Efficiency Goals:
The updated manufacturing process reduced carbon emissions (by ~12.7%), water usage (by ~6.7%), and packaging volume (by ~12.8%) compared to the original method.  

Will the Original ProNutro Return?

No. PepsiCo explicitly confirmed that it will not revert to the original formula. However, following the backlash, they promised to tweak the new formulation to improve the texture and mixability before sending stock back out to supermarkets.  

(Note: Certain lower-selling variants, such as the Wholewheat Honey Melt flavor, were permanently discontinued as part of the brand refresh).